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Old 03-04-2015, 12:18 PM   #1
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Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: OK
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Hey from OKC...

Hey Skoolies.

Thirtysomething fem from Oklahoma here who belongs in the high desert instead of the Great Plains. I'm def an out-west wolf, with New Mexico being my current and longtime love. Just visited AZ in Oct 2014 for the first time, and I think I could fall in love with her, too.

Three months of weather below 60*F is too much of it for me. I got turned on to the school bus/rv conversion idea a little while back, but only recently got pretty excited about the prospect of it when I realized that there are quite a few people doing it.

Getting ahold of a good bus wouldn't be much of an issue, but I have ZERO handyman/trade skills myself (*insert group cringe here*), so doing the conversion myself (or getting it done) would be the difficult/costly/involved part for me.

After looking around the internet quite a bit, gathering pics and ideas and reading firsthand accounts, I'm wondering if the best thing to do isn't to get a bus (I want a smaller one: somewhere in the 40-60 seating range instead of the 70+ passenger size), strip the seats out, maybe put some flooring in and a lifted spot to bunk down (just so it's not on the floor), and then take it road-tripping some. Find out just what my own personal necessities would be as far as space and equipment, etc.

So that might be the next step.

Also, I'm wide open to buying a completed conversion as well. I'm continuing to look around online for these.

So that's me! Any suggestions or help along these lines are welcome, if you feel like dropping me a line.

Thanks! Good to find a forum like this.

W

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Old 03-04-2015, 12:38 PM   #2
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Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: southwest lowsyana
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Year: 1988
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howdy wolfie. if you are tired of that weather, dont look up! another blizzard headed your way. its got to be bad, as our weather right now is sunny and 80F. but by morning, it will be freezind rain and 28F!!!!!!!!! a 50F drop in about 15 hrs! im ready to head west myself, seems the south isnt warm anymore.
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Old 03-04-2015, 01:39 PM   #3
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Location: Eustis FLORIDA
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Hello, and welcome to the forum.
For someone like you, maybe an already completed bus of coach may be a better way to go if you don't think you could learn the new skills needed.
Not trying to discourage you from building, as I think virtually anyone can do it with enough will power and determination. I've spent a few hundred just on beers alone already, and I'm just getting this thing started really.

I've found music and a few beers help things along when doing the actual work.


One thing I'd suggest is to spend a lot of time reading through build threads and diy/faq type threads on here. For long term living strategies, I highly recommend getting to know Lorna, she's been living in a bus in NM for a while now, and while i think she officially hates NM, she knows how to make it living in a bus full time, and she's in your neck of the woods too.

I fell in love with the high desert myself and can't wait to get back out west.
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Old 03-04-2015, 02:49 PM   #4
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Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Missouri
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I'm in the looking for the bus phase of this and have seen several partial conversions for sale. Most have some cabinetry in them, which would give you a head start. The libraries are full of how-to books for all kinds of carpentry projects. You can learn what you need to know. That's how I learned years ago how to do basic house wiring when we were adding a room onto the house, and it saved us a bundle.
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